Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sixth of October City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sixth of October City: $376 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Sixth of October City
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Sixth of October City Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sixth of October City

🇪🇬 Egypt

$376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sixth of October City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Sixth of October City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $376 in Sixth of October City, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sixth of October City $376

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $604 in Sixth of October City, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sixth of October City $604

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $831 in Sixth of October City, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sixth of October City $831

Cape Town costs about 322% more than Sixth of October City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sixth of October City is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 201

$3.74 E£200

224.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 751

$14.43 E£771

214.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 97.5

$3.10 E£166

89.68%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.40

$0.79 E£42.42

216.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.06

$0.35 E£18.55

262.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.23

$0.09 E£4.87

988.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.60

$1.29 E£69.2

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.52

$0.88 E£46.92

47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.79

$0.30 E£16.08

316.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.97

$0.52 E£27.71

328.85%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.5

$1.30 E£69.7

139.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 150

$2.51 E£134

260.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 115

$3.83 E£205

80.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 154

$7.28 E£389

27.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.42

$0.98 E£52.5

87.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.47

$0.63 E£33.77

211.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.60

$0.29 E£15.61

475.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.90

$0.20 E£10.68

985.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.96

$0.34 E£17.99

361.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.59

$0.24 E£12.78

516.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.23 E£12.24

465.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.71

$0.16 E£8.50

606.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.7

$1.66 E£88.5

116.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 102

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.39

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.79

$0.19 E£10.38

689.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.76

$0.32 E£16.94

84.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.78

$0.48 E£25.78

212.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.7

$0.98 E£52.3

421.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.38 E£20.15

307.89%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.2K R 599.8K

$31.9K E£1.7M

13.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.2K R 517.7K

$23.2K E£1.2M

34.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$114 R 1,894

$17.89 E£956

539.02%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.91 R 479

$4.05 E£216

613.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 658

$8.48 E£453

368.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 812

$47.83 E£2,556

2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

$6.63 E£354

65.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 152

$2.43 E£130

276.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$259 R 4,288

$38.88 E£2,078

565.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 112.5K

$1,140 E£60.9K

495.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 931

$17.18 E£918

227.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 537

$43.77 E£2,339

-25.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,998

$75.1 E£4,014

60.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,790

$52.5 E£2,806

105.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

$124 E£6,607

725.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.9K

$64.7 E£3,456

1008.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.2K

$155 E£8,280

1077.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 22.0K

$94.8 E£5,065

1299.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.6K

$759 E£40.6K

214.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.5K

$190 E£10.2K

711.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

$263 E£14.0K

523.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-57.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sixth of October City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sixth of October City

$65 17.2% 91% $652

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sixth of October City

$83 * 22% 63.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sixth of October City

$30 8.1% 83.4% $153

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sixth of October City

$57 * 15.2% 67.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sixth of October City

$85 22.6% 40.6% $58

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sixth of October City

$3.5 * 0.9% 95.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sixth of October City

$53 14% 21.7% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $124 in Sixth of October City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 524% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $14.00 in Sixth of October City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $83.0 – making Sixth of October City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇬 Sixth of October City

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

368,650

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.04 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 16.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.04 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.91 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Sixth of October City 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sixth of October City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cape Town vs Sixth of October City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 322% more than Sixth of October City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $564 in Sixth of October City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sixth of October City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $376 in Sixth of October City. That's a gap of about 322%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $38.88 in Sixth of October City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sixth of October City, where all-in costs run around $376, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sixth of October City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sixth of October City costs $376 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sixth of October City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.